Chapter 22 – Religious

Worship and the

Sabbath Day
1. The light of nature demonstrates that there is a
God who has lordship and sovereignty over all. He is
just and good and does good to everyone.
Therefore, he should be feared, loved, praised,
called on, trusted in, and served—with all the heart
and all the soul and all the strength.1  But the
acceptable way to worship the true God is instituted
by him,2 and it is delimited by his own revealed will.
Thus, he may not be worshipped according to
human imagination or inventions or the suggestions
of Satan, nor through any visible representations,
nor in any other way that is not prescribed in the
Holy Scriptures.3

1Jeremiah 10:7; Mark 12:33. 2Deuteronomy

12:32. 3Exodus 20:4–6.

2. Religious worship is to be given to God the

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to him alone4—not
to angels, saints, or any other creatures.5  Since the
fall, worship is not to be given without a
mediator6 nor through any mediation other than of
Christ alone.7

4Matthew 4:9, 10; John 5:23; Matthew

28:19. 5Romans 1:25; Colossians 2:18; Revelation
19:10. 6John 14:6. 71 Timothy 2:5.

3. Prayer with thanksgiving is an element of natural

worship and so is required by God of everyone.8 But
to be acceptable, it must be made in the name of the
Son,9 by the help of the Spirit,10 according to his
will.11  It must be accompanied by understanding,
reverence, humility, fervor, faith, love, and
perseverance. Prayer with others must be in a
language that is understood.12

8Psalms 95:1–7; 65:2. 9John 14:13, 14. 10Romans

8:26. 111 John 5:14. 121 Corinthians 14:16, 17.

4. Prayer is to be made for lawful things and for all

kinds of people who are alive now or will live
later.13  But prayer should not be made for the
dead14 nor for those known to have sinned the sin
that leads to death.15
131 Timothy 2:1, 2; 2 Samuel 7:29. 142 Samuel
12:21–23. 151 John 5:16.

5. The elements of religious worship of God include

reading the Scriptures,16 preaching and hearing the
Word of God,17 teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord,18 as
well as the administration of baptism19 and the
Lord’s supper.20  They must be performed out of
obedience to him, with understanding, faith,
reverence, and godly fear. Also, purposeful acts of
humblinga with fasting21 and times of  thanksgiving
should be observed on special occasions in a holy
and religious manner.22

asolemn humiliation
161 Timothy 4:13. 172 Timothy 4:2; Luke
8:18. 18Colossians 3:16; Ephesians
5:19. 19Matthew 28:19, 20. 201 Corinthians
11:26. 21Esther 4:16; Joel 2:12. 22Exodus 15:1–
19, Psalms 107.

 
6. Under the gospel, neither prayer nor any other
part of religious worship is now restricted to or made
more acceptable by the place where it is done or
toward which it is directed. Instead, God is to be
worshipped everywhere in spirit and in truth23—
daily24 in each family25 and privately by each
individual.26  Also, more formalb worship is to be
performed in public assemblies, and these must not
be carelessly or deliberately neglected or forsaken,
when God by his word or providence calls us to
them.27

bsolemn
23John 4:21; Malachi 1:11; 1 Timothy
2:8. 24Matthew 6:11; Psalms 55:17. 25Acts
10:2. 26Matthew 6:6. 27Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42.

7. It is the law of nature that in general a portion of

time specified by God should be set apart for the
worship of God. So by his Word, in a positive-moral
and perpetual commandment that obligates
everyone in every age, he has specifically appointed
one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy to
him.28  From the beginning of the world to the
resurrection of Christ the appointed day was the last
day of the week. After the resurrection of Christ it
was changed to the first day of the week, which is
called the Lord’s Day.29   This day is to be kept to
the end of the age as the Christian Sabbath, since
the observance of the last day of the week has been
abolished.

28Exodus 20:8. 291 Corinthians 16:1, 2; Acts

20:7; Revelation 1:10.

8. The Sabbath is kept holy to the Lord when people

have first prepared their hearts appropriately and
arranged their everyday affairs in advance. Then
they observe a holy rest all day from their own
works, words and thoughts about their secular
employment and recreation.30  Not only that, but
they also fill the whole time with public and private
acts of worship and the duties of necessity and
mercy.31

30Isaiah 58:13; Nehemiah 13:15–22. 31Matthew

12:1–13.